Filter swap fixes Senoia water issue

Fri, 02/28/2014 - 10:01amBen Nelms

What had been an issue for a handful of Senoia residents on the city’s north side with yellow-colored water coming from taps and brown-colored whole house filters has been resolved. A change in filters at the city’s Heritage Pointe wells for under $1,000 has solved the problem.

City Administrator Richard Ferry earlier in the week said the past problem experienced by a small number of residents on Teal Court off Rockaway Road had been resolved by changing to a different type of filter installed on the Heritage Pointe wells. The price tag for the new filters was less than $1,000, Ferry said.

Ferry said the city made adjustment to the existing filters and explored the use of other types of filters. The new filters were installed after consulting with Metro Filters, Ferry added.

The problem with “yellow water” and whole house filters in two or three homes on Teal Court that developed a brown or reddish color surfaced last fall after similar conditions had occurred previously.

The discoloration was apparently due to the iron content of the water, something Senoia has experienced historically. Ga. Environmental Protection Division guidelines are followed to address the iron content issue, Ferry said.

Ferry said residents in some areas of the Twin Lakes and Heritage Pointe subdivisions reported yellow sediment in their water in 2011. The city tested the water and attempted to resolve the issue by adopting measures that included changing the type of filters being used.

The issue of discolored water and filters was one which was limited since only a small handful of area residents reported those problems.

The Citizen last fall visited two of those residences and witnessed the rust-colored whole house filters that had been installed only a couple of weeks earlier.

While the problems with discoloration were obvious, what was not clear was why some immediate neighbors, along with other homes in the area, were not experiencing the same problems or had not reported problems.

What is known is that the change of filters at the Heritage Pointe wells has addressed the problem.

The city tests water quality on a regular basis, Ferry said, adding that it is important to maintain the overall high water quality that Senoia experiences.